Cannabis and Mental Health with Dr. Claude Cyr

“I would very much hope that the Canadian and the provincial governments would stop pussyfooting around, and start giving some real and concrete advice on how to use cannabis responsibly.” Dr. Claude Cyr is a family physician who has been practicing for over twenty years. He prescribes medical cannabis to his patients judiciously. He is a part time lecturer at the McGill University Department of Family Medicine and an associate researcher for the Quebec Cannabis Registry. He is widely considered a pillar in the medical cannabis community. In 2015, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, announced his intention to legalize cannabis. One year later, Claude founded Doctors for Responsible Access (DRA) to bring the medical community into the conversation of legalization. The DRA’s primary focus is on the potential negative impact that legalization could have on youth and the mentally ill. In this conversation, Claude provides a level-headed, balanced, and nuanced perspective on the benefits and drawbacks of legalization of cannabis. In this episode, Joe and Claude discussed: - The medical uses of cannabis - The potential benefits and drawbacks of cannabis on mental health - How to responsibly use cannabis - How to give advice to your teenagers on using cannabis - The medical potential of psychedelics